Michael Kors Wins Social Engagement During NYFW, Followed by Tory Burch and Ralph Lauren

Michael Kors once again came in first place in social engagement during New York Fashion Week, followed by Tory Burch and Ralph Lauren, respectively.

That’s according to ListenFirst, the social analytics firm, which measures click-based actions such as likes, reactions, shares and comments, taken either in direct response to a brand’s owned social accounts or by way of organic conversation, including new fans and engagements across social media as well as conversation volume on Twitter and Reddit.

ListenFirst analyzed social engagement from Sept. 8 to 14, and compared it to social engagement during last season’s shows from Feb. 10 to 16.

“In this year’s NYFW, successful fashion and luxury marketers leveraged the combination of compelling storytelling and visually captivating content to create seamless viewer experiences,” said Xiaoman Chen, fashion and luxury lead at ListenFirst. “While images and videos were the preferred social formats, an unexpected standout was the gallery format, driving engagement levels 48 percent higher than images and 9 percent higher than videos, emphasizing the importance of showcasing various facets of the event.”

Chen said a consistent thematic approach was critical to enhance social engagement. Discussing the top three winners, she explained, “Michael Kors embodied barefoot glamour and romantic vacation vibes with the runway lined with bougainvillea flowers; Tory Burch focused on simplicity within chaos, and Ralph Lauren elegantly blended Americana classics with opulent details. These cohesive themes were key to capturing and retaining the audience’s attention and achieving social media success during NYFW.”

Michael Kors had an engagement score of 2.3 million, which although it came in first place, was down 44 percent from a season ago.

The brand’s standout social moment was a gallery post showcasing images of models walking the runway along the East River at the Domino Park location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. That post amassed 206,000 engagements. The second highest-performing post featured a collaboration with Vanessa Hudgens, generating 88,000 engagements. In this image, Hudgens exuded confidence as she graced the bustling New York Fashion Week walkway in a monochromatic tan ensemble, smiling for the camera. Additional high-performing content comprised galleries and videos showcasing Kors’ celebrity guests. Particularly noteworthy was a TikTok video in which these celebrities alluded to the “Barbie” movie saying “Hi Michael,” amassing 73,000 engagements. Other noteworthy posts included animations of vibrant pink flowers trailing across the cityscape, according to ListenFirst.

Tory Burch, which achieved 1.4 million social media engagements, improved from its third-place ranking last season and came in second place. The brand’s Instagram and TikTok strategy led to engagement levels that far outpaced the prior season, driving a 101 percent increase in performance from a season ago.

The highlight of Burch’s social media success was a collaborative post featuring the brand and Madelaine Petsch. The content earned 300,500 engagements and highlighted Petsch’s rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic, and was shown within the backdrop of a hotel-style photo shoot.

Strategic partnerships with creators and talents boasting robust social followings further fueled the brand’s performance, according to ListenFirst. People such as Reece Feldman, Alix Earle, Liv Perez, Monet McMichael and Madeline Argy contributed to Burch’s digital narrative, amplifying its reach and engagement.

According to ListenFirst, the brand’s choice of the American Museum of Natural History transcended the ordinary and “transported viewers to a sci-fi dimension filled with retro-futuristic and galactic glam looks.”

Lauren came in third place with a score of 869,572 in social engagement, up 375 percent from fall 2023. Even though Lauren didn’t have a show during the February fashion week, there was social engagement for the brand during that period, according to ListenFirst.

According to ListenFirst, Lauren’s strong showing “underscores the warm and enthusiastic welcome the iconic brand received upon its return to the NYFW stage.” The brand transformed an industrial warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard into a rustic ranch-style barn, and social media lit up with enthusiasm. One particular highlight was a captivating video featuring runway footage, according to ListenFirst. The video earned 109,000 engagements.

Christian Siriano, which came in fourth place with a score of 520,748 in social engagement, was up 60 percent from last season. This year’s show marked the 15th anniversary of brand, a milestone celebrated at the Pierre Hotel. Assembling in the front row were celebrities such as Janet Jackson, Padma Lakshmi, Kesha, Laverne Cox and Alicia Silverstone. Sia surprised guests with a live performance.

Area came in fifth place with a social engagement score of 309,748, up 4 percent from a year ago.

Coming in sixth place was Cos, which scored 266,418 in social engagement, up 300 percent from last season. Seventh place went to Carolina Herrera, which achieved 216,755 in social media engagement, down 27 percent from last season. PatBo, which came in eighth place, had a social media score of 207,327, up 21.9 percent from last season.

In ninth place was Mirror Palais, which had a social media engagement of 197,802, up 123 percent from last season; and in 10th place was Helmut Lang, which showed its debut collection by Peter Do and scored 126,854 in social engagement, up 1,295 percent.